My name is Evan and I’m Pete’s son and also one of the main curators of his website. Between my brother and I, we redesigned and have been moderating this new site, including the blog. My Dad and I have been overwhelmed by the immediate success of this blog and it’s all thanks to you – the reader. We have seen the website statistics jump and almost double since the launch of the new PeteEarley.com. A large part of this reason is the blog. And because we have gained so much from you all, we want to provide an opportunity to make it a better experience for you.
I have read a few comments asking or suggesting some certain things to be added to the blog, such as following widgets, etc. I wanted to open the discussion to all the readers of the site.
What do you want to see on this blog that would make the experience better? Don’t focus so much on content, as that is Pete’s decision, not mine, but stuff that would make this blog more accessible. Such as RSS feeds or Twitter linking, etc. What features do other blogs that you read have that we don’t and you want? Also, are there currently problems you have with the way the blog is now? We want to make improvements as suggested by those who are most intimately involved with the blog each day.
Please keep the comments civil and constructive. I will be monitoring them the next couple of days and will take all the suggestions seriously. Thank you for reading and for making this blog a success so far!
A blog can help drive traffic to your main website by using key phrases and searchable terms. Hyperlink these terms to pages in your main website, or other sites you are trying to promote.
Adwords.google.com is a great source.
If Pete mentions one of his books, hyperlink the title of his book to where a reader may purchase that book on his website. When he mentions NAMI, link the word to NAMI's homepage.
Posting video to blogs makes them more interesting, for example Minds Over the Edge has video on youtube you could upload and post along with the story. It makes it easier for the reader to have access and gain their interest.
Your font size could also go up a notch or two, make it easier on the readers eyes and it will be more visually appealing. Try reading a book in large print and you learn to appreciate font size.
You could also set up a fan page on facebook, as well as help nonprofits with fund raising through facebook.
here is an interesting article
http://blog.larrybodine.com/2010/02/articles/te…
There are also blog directories you can list in under.
Hi, Evan-
I live in St. Mary's County, MD and Pete is scheduled to come down and speak at a NAMI Southern Maryland event on March 18. I think it would help to put the exact location (Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, 44219 Airport Road, California, MD) and the time (7 pm)
ALSO- we'd like to provide an opportunity for Pete to sign copies of Crazy. We're not in a position to provide copies of the book ourselves. Does he have extra copies he could bring with him?
Thanks for everything!
Amy Henderson
NAMI Southern Maryland
Is it possible to have a question and answer catagory along with problem solving input from Pete and others?
Hi Amy,
Just tonight I updated the speeches section with exact addresses, times, and links to maps as well as registration pages. There is also an interactive map on the speech page now.
As for the book signings, that is a question I cannot answer. I would e-mail peteearley.speeches@gmail.com with your query. I will alert Pete about it however.
Best,
Evan
I am not sure what you mean by this Donna. Did you want something like a Frequently Asked Questions? Or something more direct where Pete would answer specific questions?
Ralphie,
Thanks for your input, but I can only do so much to influence Pete's blog postings. Content is out of my control, I can only change accessibility and technical stuff on the website end.
Thank you for your other suggestions, we will consider them.
Donna, I am working with Evan on improvements for the page. There is the feedback section of the site which functions as a guestbook for site visitors. You can post a public message there and others can comment or reply on your posting if they choose to do so.
I have signed up several times to receive any new entries via email
notification but I never get any. I DO get them through my subscription
to Google Alerts so I don't miss anything, but I was wondering why your
site does not provide them. Thanks. BTW… Pete and I are buddies since his
days in the Miami-Dade County Jail where I ran ICTV, the jail television
station
Hi there,
The mailing list at the bottom of the site is not for updates on the blog, but rather, general updates that Pete will send out from time to time in a newsletter fashion (i.e. if he is releasing a new book, etc.).
I can promise you that within the week we will be activating an RSS feed on the blog that you could use to track it's latest updates separate from Google Alerts.
We are working hard to update the blog on the back-end to make it more accessible. But thank you for your comments, they help to drive us towards features that the readers want.
– Evan
Evan — What about starting a Pete Earley Fan page on Facebook? I think it would grow quickly and would be an easy way for fans of Pete to find out about his speeches and books, etc. You could be the administrator and I'll be the first fan. I will be sure to talk it up with my friends and we could link it to multiple other mental health related sites. What do you think?
Hi there,
This is something that I am certainly working on. We will be launching a new build of the website (no aesthetic changes though, it will look the same). Once that build is up it will make the website more accessible for social media like Twitter and Facebook. I will post a blog entry alerting everybody when that is done. Thank you for the suggestion!
Hi there,
This is something that I am certainly working on. We will be launching a new build of the website (no aesthetic changes though, it will look the same). Once that build is up it will make the website more accessible for social media like Twitter and Facebook. I will post a blog entry alerting everybody when that is done. Thank you for the suggestion!
really would love an RSS feed so that i don’t miss any of your articles. i follow you on FB but, as you know, not everything shows up in FB newsfeeds. get on that in your spare time, eh! thanks!